Global EditionASIA 中文雙語Fran?ais
Latest News

Venezuela arrests six over drone explosions during Maduro speech

Updated: 2018-08-06 03:55
Share
Share - WeChat

CARACAS - Venezuelan authorities said on Sunday they have detained six people over drone explosions the day before at a rally led by President Nicolas Maduro, as his critics warned the socialist leader would use the incident to crack down on adversaries.

The suspects launched two drones laden with explosives over an outdoor rally Maduro was holding in downtown Caracas to commemorate the National Guard, Interior Minister Nestor Reverol said. One was "diverted" by security forces while the second fell on its own and hit an apartment building, Reverol said.

The attack highlights Maduro's challenges in maintaining control over the OPEC nation, where widespread food and medicine shortages have fueled outrage and despair everywhere from hillside slums to military barracks.

"These terrorist acts represent a slap in the face to the expressed desire of the President of the Republic, Nicolas Maduro, for national reconciliation and dialogue," Reverol said in a statement read on state television.

State television footage of the rally showed Maduro startled by what appeared to be an explosion and footage later panned to soldiers lined up on a boulevard who chaotically broke ranks in what appeared to be a reaction to a second blast.

The president later described the attack, which injured seven soldiers, as an assassination attempt.

One of the suspects had an outstanding arrest warrant for involvement in a 2017 attack on a military base that killed two people, Reverol said, an incident that followed four months of anti-government protests.

A second suspect had been detained during a wave of anti-Maduro protests in 2014 but had been released through "procedural benefits," Reverol said, without offering details.

He did not name the suspects.

The arrests suggest the attack was less a military uprising than an assault led by groups linked to anti-Maduro street protesters, dubbed "The Resistance," who have led two waves of violent demonstrations that left hundreds dead.

That is consistent with the shadowy group that claimed responsibility for the attack, The National Movement of Soldiers in T-Shirts, whose website says it was created in 2014 to bring together different groups of protesters.

Reuters was unable to independently confirm the involvement of the group, which did not respond to requests for comment on the arrest announcements, or identify any of its members.

'I SAW THE LITTLE PLANE'

Bolivar Avenue of downtown Caracas, where the incident took place, was calm on Sunday.

Joggers and cyclists were taking up two of the lanes that are traditionally used for weekend recreation. The stage where Maduro spoke had been removed.

Witnesses said they heard and felt an explosion in the late afternoon, then saw a drone fall out of the sky and hit a nearby building.

"I heard the first explosion, it was so strong that the buildings moved," said Mairum Gonzalez, 45, a pre-school teacher. "I went to the balcony and I saw the little plane ... it hit the building and smoke started to come out."

Two witnesses said they later saw security forces halt a black Chevrolet and arrest three men inside it.

The security forces later took apart the car and found what appeared to be remote controls, tablets and computers, said the two, who identified themselves as Andres and Karina, without giving their last names.

Opposition critics accuse Maduro of fabricating or exaggerating security incidents to distract from hyperinflation and Soviet-style product shortages.

Leopoldo Lopez, formerly mayor of Caracas' district of Chacao, for example, is under house arrest for his role in 2014 street protests that Maduro described as a coup attempt but his adversaries insisted were a form of free expression.

"We warn that the government is taking advantage of this incident ... to criminalize those who legitimately and democratically oppose it and deepen the repression and systematic human rights violations," wrote the Broad Front opposition coalition in a statement published on Twitter.

Maduro's allies counter that the opposition has a history of involvement in military conspiracies, most notably in the 2002 coup that briefly toppled socialist leader Hugo Chavez.

"I have no doubt that everything points to the right, the Venezuelan ultra-right," Maduro said on Saturday night. "Maximum punishment! And there will be no forgiveness."

Maduro, who blames the country's problems on an "economic war" led by adversaries, during the course of his five-year rule has often announced having foiled military plots against him that he says are backed by Washington.

U.S. national security adviser John Bolton told Fox News in an interview on Sunday that the United States was not involved in the blast.

Reuters

 

Today's Top News

Editor's picks

Most Viewed

Top
BACK TO THE TOP
English
Copyright 1995 - . All rights reserved. The content (including but not limited to text, photo, multimedia information, etc) published in this site belongs to China Daily Information Co (CDIC). Without written authorization from CDIC, such content shall not be republished or used in any form. Note: Browsers with 1024*768 or higher resolution are suggested for this site.
License for publishing multimedia online 0108263

Registration Number: 130349
FOLLOW US
主站蜘蛛池模板: 2018在线观看| 久久人人爽人人爽人人片AV东京热| 色爱无码av综合区| 理论片手机在线观看免费视频| 国产精品免费一级在线观看| 亚洲午夜国产精品无卡| 韩国无码av片| 国内精品久久久久久99蜜桃| 久久久久亚洲AV无码麻豆| 深夜A级毛片视频免费| 国产亚洲精品美女久久久久| 91蜜桃传媒一二三区| 成人永久福利在线观看不卡| 免费看污成人午夜网站| tube欧美69xxxx| 欧美式free群乱| 又大又粗又爽a级毛片免费看| a级毛片免费高清视频| 日韩美女hd高清电影| 亚洲精品熟女国产| 自慰被室友看见强行嗯啊男男| 精品国产自在现线看| 天天摸天天躁天天添天天爽| 亚洲天堂福利视频| 粗大挺进尤物人妻中文字幕| 国产亚洲综合精品一区二区三区| 538prom在线| 女人扒开屁股爽桶30分钟| 久久久久久a亚洲欧洲AV冫| 欧美三级电影在线| 国产50部艳色禁片无码| 99riav视频国产在线看| 成人免费视频网址| 亚洲国产精品日韩在线观看| 色网站在线免费观看| 国产猛男猛女超爽免费视频| 中文国产成人精品久久不卡 | 国产裸舞福利资源在线视频| 一个人看的www在线高清小说| 无码人妻aⅴ一区二区三区| 亚洲精品91在线|